City considering giving Naloxone kits to firefighters

Ottawa's chief of emergency services says the city is considering distributing Naloxone to firefighters.

In a memo to council, General Manager of Emergency and Protective Services Anthony Di Monte said his department is "working on the logistics for the distribution and the provision of Naloxone to Fire Services."

The memo comes amid news of another overdose death in the city. Police chief Charles Bordeleau said Monday afternoon a man in his 20s died by overdose downtown over the weekend.

It also comes in advance of a public meeting Monday night in Kanata to give parents more information about the growing problem of counterfeit prescription drugs laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid which can be fatal in small doses.

CTV News reported last week that the paramedics' union resisted the idea of letting firefighters carry the medicine, which reverses the effects of opioid overdoses.

Di Monte said distributing Naloxone to firefighters would "require significant evaluation and planning," including considerations of employee training, legal implications and any associated costs.